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Regardless of how gorgeously they were both dressed and styled, the two people on screen looked so different that it appeared unexpectedly comedic. One was ridiculously tall and made the other, already rather short, look like a small child. Although they were both sitting down, it barely reduced the hilarious size difference.
“How should I evaluate this group?”
“You could talk about how they performed.”
“‘They were really into it!’ Heeheehee! ‘They were very emotional…’ Heh, I’ll say all that before you get to!”
“You’re too naughty!”
More laughter ensued after that.
“He’s really cute,” Huang Youming said, shaking his head. “I can’t believe such a cute guy has such a voice.”
Zhang Zhehan was grinning at the screen, the dark and sticky sweet Coca-Cola chicken wing in his hand dangling forgotten. “He really is absurdly adorable.”
“He’s really funny too, which makes him very suitable for shows like this. Very approachable,” Huang Youming continued, surprised but enthused now that he had found a fellow casual fan in Zhang Zhehan.
“Of course he’s approachable. Look at him! Look at that grin! Damn, how can he be so handsome and adorable at the same time,” Zhang Zhehan said, eyes curving into crescents with how hard he was smiling at his television. That look… It was a familiar, besotted look…
Huang Youming had a sudden suspicion that they weren’t talking about the same person after all.
His sudden doubt was promptly proven to be justified when Zhang Zhehan continued, “Ah, it makes me want to poke him. Bully him a little when he laughs like that.”
Rolling his eyes, Huang Youming said, “I was talking about Zhou Shen, not your Lao Gong.”
“Who’s Zhou Shen?” Zhang Zhehan asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.
“Oh my god, you idiot, Zhou Shen is the very famous singer sitting next to Gong Jun!” Huang Youming exclaimed, almost giving in to the urge to throw his own chicken wing at Zhang Zhehan’s stupidly-in-love head. “The one who is actually cute! The tiny guy with the amazing voice! He sang Big Fish! How could you not have heard Big Fish before?”
“Oh yeah, Big Fish. I remember him now… I like Doomsday Spaceship and A Lonely Whale better.”
So now he could suddenly name Zhou Shen’s songs. That asshole was probably being petty by pretending not to know who Zhou Shen was, because how dare Huang Youming think Zhou Shen was cuter than Gong Jun. Well, Huang Youming could be petty too. “I can’t believe you thought I was talking about Gong Jun. How could Gong Jun be the cute one?”
Finally, Zhang Zhehan stopped staring at the screen where Gong Jun and Zhou Shen were interacting as mentors in the idol competition Chuang 2021. He looked at Huang Youming with an unimpressed expression. “What are you talking about? Of course Junjun is the cute one there.”
Huang Youming put his half-eaten chicken down on his plate just so he could point a greasy finger at the screen and emphasize his outrage. “Gong Jun is the cute one? Do you need glasses? Gong Jun is the weird giant with the honking goose laugh who looms over people when he gets annoyed! Zhou Shen is the friendly and cheerful one, the one with the big voice in a small but energetic package that you could probably pick up with one hand. How is Gong Jun the one who is cute?”
Zhang Zhehan just waved his hand at the screen, as if that explained everything, and insisted, “Just look at Junjun! Look at that smile of his!”
“I can’t talk to you, it’s like you’re living on a different planet to the rest of us,” Huang Youming declared and picked up his chicken again, taking an aggressive bite just so he didn’t have to keep talking to the idiot next to him.
Turning back to the screen, Zhang Zhehan’s cynical expression melted into a dumb look of fondness. “He’s really the cutest…” he murmured under his breath, probably without even realizing it.
Huang Youming regretted his life choices already. In a rare moment when they both had free time and were in the same city, Zhang Zhehan had invited him over for dinner, since they hadn’t had a chance to catch up in person ever since filming ended. Ironically, Huang Youming had been the one to suggest watching the Chuang episode where Gong Jun had appeared as a guest mentor. He didn’t actually follow Chuang 2021, didn’t have the time for it really, but he watched clips of it sometimes because he liked how the trainees this year seemed like they were forming genuine friendships, and he liked their less-polished performances as they gained experience on stage.
It seemed like it would be fun to watch an episode with their fellow co-star in it, and he knew that Zhang Zhehan wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to watch Gong Jun.
He should have known that watching it with Zhang Zhehan would turn the viewing into the Gong Jun admiration hour.
Zhang Zhehan laughed with unrestrained amusement at whatever Gong Jun said or did that likely wasn’t even that funny anyway. He only had praise or enthusiasm whenever Gong Jun had screentime, dialling down to mild interest whenever the show focused instead on the trainees’ performances, which was the actual point of the show. Sighing, Huang Youming decided to eat Zhang Zhehan’s chicken and drink his beer too whenever he got too preoccupied staring at Gong Jun’s face in high definition. It was the least Zhang Zhehan deserved. Of course, Huang Youming would probably have to work out an extra hour or five to make up for it tomorrow, but he needed to eat and drink away his disgust right now.
Fortunately, the episode ended before Huang Youming ate himself into a food coma, and Zhang Zhehan quickly began inhaling his share of chicken wings too when he realized how much Huang Youming had eaten while he was distracted.
“So have you hooked up yet?” Huang Youming asked, purposefully waiting for Zhang Zhehan to take a swig of his beer.
But Zhang Zhehan had always been smooth, a guy who was very difficult to fluster, except when Gong Jun was actually present. He swallowed his beer without the slightest splutter and raised his eyebrows at Huang Youming. “What are you talking about?”
Huang Youming tipped his can of beer at Zhang Zhehan and asked, “Have you told him how you feel yet and have you fallen into bed together in disgusting romantic bliss?”
Looking away, Zhang Zhehan put down his own beer and said with the kind of nonchalance that could only fool someone who was not an experienced actor, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I can’t believe it,” Huang Youming groaned. “You just spent this whole time going on and on about how adorable he is, but you still haven’t confessed to him yet?”
“That’s just an objective fact,” Zhang Zhehan shot back. “He’s very adorable!”
“He’s a gangly, awkward giant next to Zhou Shen, who is objectively what cute looks like.”
“He’s so earnest and happy, how could you not find him adorable?” Zhang Zhehan demanded, as if it was a major affront to not consider Gong Jun cute.
Huang Youming sighed. “Look, I like Gong Jun just fine, but I don’t find him adorable.”
He thought he heard Zhang Zhehan mutter something about ‘no taste’ but Huang Youming decided to ignore him for now; he couldn’t bear another debate where Zhang Zhehan ended up extolling Gong Jun’s very many good points, among which was apparently unparalleled cuteness. If people thought he was bad in interviews, he was actually worse in private.
They started the next episode of Chuang but ended up spending most of the time catching up and talking over the show, because obviously Zhang Zhehan had no more interest in it without Gong Jun as a guest mentor. The episode was reaching its end, and Huang Youming was about to make excuses to leave, since he had an early photoshoot the next day, when there was a knock on the door.
Zhang Zhehan shot him a quick look before he got up from the couch and headed towards the front door on silent feet, the relaxed cheerfulness on his face falling away completely. It was obvious that he wasn’t expecting anyone and the knock had made him very wary, which was understandable considering this was a gated community. The security guards should have called up to Zhang Zhehan about any unexpected guests, not have them knocking on his door directly without prior notice. Uncertain at this sudden turn of events, Huang Youming got to his feet, hovering by the couch as his imagination flashed through various possibilities, from stalkers to paparazzi who had somehow managed to find Zhang Zhehan’s address. Should he call the police already? What if they had a weapon?
He was about to tell Zhang Zhehan to be careful and not to open the door when the madman took one glance at the intercom with its security camera display on the wall and hurriedly unlocked the door before swinging it wide open.
“Ge~”
Gong Jun.
Even though it was ‘Ge~’, instead of the usual ‘Zhang-laoshi~’ warbled aloud when they were in public, the greeting was still familiar, the way it was bright and cheerful and alright, Huang Youming had to admit, he was a little bit cute. But only ever around Zhang Zhehan and certainly not cute enough to warrant Zhang Zhehan’s grins and giggliness.
“Junjun, what are you doing here?” Zhang Zhehan exclaimed, grabbing a pair of house slippers from the shoe cabinet for Gong Jun to change into. “I thought you were in Hangzhou, filming that commercial by the lake.”
Of course Zhang Zhehan knew Gong Jun’s itinerary. Of course he did.
“We ended early and I took an early flight back. Then I remembered you didn’t have anything today and tomorrow, so I thought I would surprise you with a visit before I have to go for my next shoot tomorrow afternoon.”
Of course Gong Jun knew Zhang Zhehan’s itinerary too. Of course he did.
“Ah, you’re in such high demand these days, but you still remember your friends in low places. I’m so touched, Junjun.”
“Da ge, if you’re a friend in low places, then there’s no one in the industry who is in high places,” Gong Jun said wryly as he handed over a bright red paper bag. “Here are some fruits and snacks from Hangzhou.”
It was amazing how good they were at making everyone else feel superfluous, as if the moment the two of them were in proximity, everyone else around them were reduced to NPCs.1
Huang Youming decided it was time to remind them, and himself, that he did indeed exist. “I hope you have some for this actual friend in low places, Gong da ren.2”
Turning to him with genuine surprise on that pretty boy face, Gong Jun greeted him cheerfully, “Huang-laoshi! I didn’t know you were here, otherwise I would have brought more gifts from Hangzhou.”
‘Or you could just share some of Zhang Zhehan’s gifts instead, but you would never wrong your da ge that way, would you?’ Huang Youming thought with some amusement.
“It was a rather spontaneous meet-up,” Huang Youming admitted as he dropped back onto the couch, relaxing into its comfortable cushions again. “Just like your spontaneous visit. You gave us a scare, we thought it was a stalker or something.”
Gong Jun looked up from where he had bent down to pat Lufei who had come trotting up to inspect this newest guest. “Oh, I’m sorry, I really should have called first. The security guard recognized me and let me in, so I thought I would surprise you at the door.” He directed most of this to Zhang Zhehan, because of course scaring Zhang Zhehan was a much bigger deal than scaring Huang Youming.
Zhang Zhehan, who had been leaning against the wall and watching Gong Jun’s every move with an embarrassingly fond expression, merely waved his hand negligently. “It’s fine, not a big deal.”
He seemed to have totally forgotten how tense he was when he had approached the door earlier. All the negativity forgotten in the face of...well, Gong Jun’s face. After drinking his fill of the sight of Gong Jun playing with Lufei, Zhang Zhehan finally disappeared into the kitchen with his bag of gifts, apparently having zero intention of sharing anything in it with Huang Youming.
Why were they friends again?
Gong Jun sat down on the floor, scratching behind Lufei’s ear until the dog’s little hind leg started thumping. “What were you both doing?” he asked, before catching sight of the bones from the devoured Coca-Cola chicken and the four empty beer cans. “Oh, catching up over drinks?”
“And watching Chuang. We started with that episode where you were a guest.”
Grinning, Gong Jun said, “Chuang? That’s such a fun show! The trainees were so talented and the group performances for that episode were amazing.”
Feeling a little wicked, Huang Youming said, “Did you know your gege was waxing lyrical about how adorable you were on the show? He thought Zhou Shen wasn’t as cute as you were.”
“Oh, but Shenshen is really very cute too,” Gong Jun said, although his lips curved up in a pleased smile that he completely failed to hide.
“Obviously! Only Zhehan would think a freakishly tall weirdo like you was cute, let alone the cutest, most adorable face to grace the screen.”
“Hey!” Gong Jun protested as he actually stopped scritching behind Lufei’s ear, earning a complaining whine from the dog. “I’m not a weirdo. Plenty of people think I’m cute!”
“Yeah? Who? Besides your fans and your blind Zhang-laoshi?”
Gong Jun paused, clearly stumped. Before Huang Youming had time to gloat over winning the point, Gong Jun lit up and continued, “Xu Feng thinks I’m cute too!”
Frowning, it took a moment for Huang Youming to place the name. “Your Advance Bravely costar?” When he received a nod of confirmation, he rolled his eyes. “That guy probably thinks everyone is cute, which isn’t surprising because all he can see from his height are the tops of people’s heads and maybe their eyes.”
“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Zhang Zhehan asked as he sauntered back into the living room, a plate of mandarin oranges in one hand. He flopped down on the couch and placed the plate on the coffee table.
“Youming was just being ridiculous again,” Gong Jun said drily. “As usual.”
“Can’t come close when compared to you,” Huang Youming shot back.
Lufei was becoming a puddle of happy dog under Gong Jun’s resumed vigorous petting, which seemed to motivate Zhang Zhehan into saying, “It’s no wonder he likes you so much when you spoil him like that. Come over and eat some mandarins.”
“The dog is not the only one who likes him so much in this house,” Huang Youming muttered under his breath.
Zhang Zhehan shot him a narrow-eyed look, and Huang Youming feigned innocence. He wasn’t wrong anyway; look at how Zhang Zhehan brought out mandarins just for Gong Jun. Huang Youming didn’t get any mandarins, and had even been sent to the kitchen to get the plates and beer for the two of them when he was the one who had brought over the Coca-Cola chicken.
Rather than abandoning Lufei on the floor, Gong Jun picked him up and carried him over to the couch. The couch wasn’t a big three-seater; it was at most, a two-and-a-half seater, so Huang Youming raised his eyebrows when he saw Gong Jun approaching them instead of heading for the armchair that was conspicuously free of anyone on it.
To Huang Youming’s complete lack of surprise, Gong Jun squeezed himself into the middle of the couch between Zhang Zhehan and Huang Youming.
“Really, Gong Jun?” Huang Youming complained as he found himself squashed against the arm of the couch, ruthlessly shoved to the side by Gong Jun. “There’s a perfectly good, unoccupied armchair over there!”
“Then you can go sit over there,” Gong Jun said bluntly, seemingly unbothered with the very pointy elbow he was digging into Huang Youming’s side, what with the lack of space.
Despite their tendency to bicker on set and in front of the fans, the three of them were genuinely friends, on good enough terms that they were willing to spend their precious free time hanging out on occasion. Not too frequently of course, because spending too much time with both Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan could make a person feel like they were at risk of diabetes from the sheer amount of sweetness they were being force-fed.
But being friends didn’t change the fact that Gong Jun was rather possessive of Zhang Zhehan’s attention and personal space. Everyone was friendly and easy with each other, but Gong Jun had to be the one who sat next to Zhang Zhehan, and Gong Jun had to be the one who hovered well within Zhang Zhehan’s personal space. Holding things for Zhang Zhehan, bringing food for Zhang Zhehan, whispering in Zhang Zhehan’s ear...these were all exclusive rights for Gong Jun, if Gong Jun had anything to say about it. It wasn’t like Gong Jun did anything alarming to display such possessiveness. He just tended to stick as close as possible to Zhang Zhehan, and occasionally, like right now, squeezing in-between Zhang Zhehan and anyone else he deemed was just a touch too close in proximity.
Huang Youming wasn’t entirely sure if the idiot was even aware of what he was doing, but he knew for sure that Zhang Zhehan was much too smart not to have noticed. From the curve of Zhang Zhehan’s lips now, he clearly relished Gong Jun’s constant attention and harmless possessiveness. Probably found it super cute too, that weirdo.
While Huang Youming was mulling over the weirdness of Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan, he suddenly found Lufei deposited onto his lap. Gong Jun picked up a mandarin from the plate, obviously abandoning Lufei so he could have his hands free.
Sighing, Huang Youming got up from where he had been crammed against the couch’s arm and carried Lufei with him as he moved over to the armchair. It wasn’t worth trying to outlast Gong Jun’s lanky, pointy limbs on that couch. Unlike Gong Jun, he didn’t have any great urge to stay close to Zhang Zhehan after all. Lufei on the other hand stared longingly at Gong Jun, as if heartbroken to have been abandoned for a mandarin. ‘Like master, like dog,’ Huang Youming thought uncharitably and with some amusement as he consoled Lufei with pets.
Despite the fact that there was now more room on the couch since Huang Youming had just left it, Gong Jun and Zhang Zhehan remained pressed up right against each other’s sides, with no interest in spreading out more on the now spacious couch. Unbelievable…
“You seemed like you had fun on Chuang,” Zhang Zhehan said, smiling fondly at Gong Jun.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” Gong Jun admitted cheerfully. “It was a good thing Shenshen was so easy to get along with. He gave me a lot of tips and guidance.”
Zhang Zhehan raised an eyebrow. “Shenshen?”
With his eyes on the mandarin he was peeling, Gong Jun missed the flash of unease on Zhang Zhehan’s face. “Oh yeah, Zhou Shen. He said he gets goosebumps when he hears anyone call him laoshi, and told me I could call him Shenshen. I talk to him quite a bit now.” Then he added with a pleased ‘hehe’ giggle, “I added all the mentors on Wechat, even Ning-jie and Ding-ge!”
Huang Youming laughed at Gong Jun’s delight over his success in idol-chasing. “Now you’re just name-dropping.”
“Yeah, I am, so what?” Gong Jun said, lifting his chin smugly.
The move was undermined when he held out four segments of the peeled mandarin to Zhang Zhehan. Unashamed, Zhang Zhehan accepted all of them and popped one into his mouth immediately. This brat was so ridiculously spoiled.
“Hey, I want some peeled mandarins too!” Huang Youming said, just to be an asshole.
Picking up a whole, unpeeled mandarin, Gong Jun tossed it over lightly at Huang Youming, saying, “Peel it yourself.”
The mandarin almost sailed past him on a crooked trajectory, because Gong Jun was terribly uncoordinated, but Huang Youming managed to catch it. He rolled his eyes at the blatant difference in treatment between himself and Zhang Zhehan. But what did he expect? Why did he set himself up to be insulted like this?
“I didn’t know you got so close to the mentors from Chuang,” Zhang Zhehan said in a neutral tone.
Gong Jun shrugged. “I mostly talk to Shenshen, but we’re not really close. He’s very nice though.” Then he seemed to remember their earlier conversation and turned to Zhang Zhehan with a disbelieving expression. “Ge, Youming said you didn’t think Shenshen was cute.”
Swallowing his mouthful of mandarin, Zhang Zhehan asked, “Why? Do you think he’s cute?”
“I think everyone thinks he’s cute,” Gong Jun pointed out.
Zhang Zhehan declared obstinately, “Well, I think you’re the cute one. You’re much cuter than Zhou Shen.”
That had Gong Jun looking at Zhang Zhehan with wide eyes as he tried to fend off the over-the-top praise, “We weren’t talking about me.”
“Well, I’m talking about you, and you were very cute,” Zhang Zhehan insisted, his eyes curving as his mischievous grin grew wider. “You were so earnest when you were praising all the trainees and when you were asking for advice. All the trainees were so charmed by you.”
“They weren’t,” Gong Jun denied, ducking his head to peel another mandarin, leaving the remaining half of the one he had already peeled on the plate.
“Aww, I definitely saw some starry eyed gazes among them. The trainees watching the show from backstage were talking about how handsome and tall you were. They don’t even know that you’re even more handsome and tall from up close.”
“They— They have to say that about all the guests, you know how—”
“Lao Gong, why are you so shy when I’m only telling the truth?”
“Ge, don’t—”
Huang Youming watched as Gong Jun, who was usually so blunt and prone to steamrolling over most people when bantering, was reduced to stuttering and blushing by Zhang Zhehan’s flirtatious teasing. He watched as they bantered and teased each other as if there were only two of them in the room, his presence entirely forgotten.
Peeling his own mandarin, he looked down at Lufei who had jumped down onto the floor to sit by his feet, seeming very unimpressed by everything his dumbass owner was doing. Huang Youming nodded, whispering, “At least I’m better off than you, pup. I don’t have to live with this nonsense.”
By the time Zhang Zhehan started trying to coax a song out of Gong Jun, complaining that it didn’t feel right not hearing Gong Jun’s singing for days now, Huang Youming decided it was a sign for him to make his exit. At the very least, it would save his ears from some unnecessary torture. Not that he would say that aloud, otherwise he would have to hear Zhang Zhehan go on about how Gong Jun’s earnest singing had its own charm and if he listened to it a bit more, he would find that it was actually quite pleasant to listen to. The man was just embarrassing.
“How are you getting home?” Gong Jun asked as Huang Youming collected his bag from where he had dumped it by the couch.
“I drove here. Do you need a ride back?”
Gong Jun didn’t budge from where he was sitting, just shook his head in response. It was already almost midnight, but it looked like Gong Jun wasn’t planning to leave any time soon.
There were perfectly peeled and segmented mandarins on the plate in front of Gong Jun, with a neat pile of mandarin peels beside it. Huang Youming swooped in and stole a piece, earning a smack to the back of his retreating palm. He ate the tangy stolen fruit with relish, sending a smug look at Zhang Zhehan. Calmly, Zhang Zhehan reached out and plucked a mandarin slice off the plate and ate it without a single protest from Gong Jun. The only thing Gong Jun did was nudge the plate closer to Zhang Zhehan.
Seriously, why was Huang Youming even friends with these two assholes?
Zhang Zhehan finally got up to see Huang Youming out, while Gong Jun remained on the couch, giving Lufei a belly rub with one socked foot. At the door, Huang Youming turned around to say goodbye only to find Zhang Zhehan staring with an absurdly doting gaze at Gong Jun who was grinning down at Lufei, the dog writhing in ecstasy at receiving belly rubs via socked feet.
“You know, you’re not the only one who finds him cute,” Huang Youming said quietly, spurred on by a whole night of having to watch them tease each other, stare at each other with soft gazes, steal longing looks at each other...
Finally turning to Huang Youming, Zhang Zhehan gave him an uncomprehending look. “Not that I disagree, because of course people find Junjun cute. But I thought you were insisting that he wasn’t cute.”
Waving the words away, Huang Youming said, “I don’t find him cute, but that doesn’t mean other people wouldn’t. Maybe Zhou Shen finds him cute and that’s why they talk so much on Wechat. Your Lao Gong told me that Xu Feng thinks he’s very cute.”
He watched as the muscle in Zhang Zhehan’s cheek jumped when he clenched his teeth. Aha! So Zhang Zhehan was all for talking about how Gong Jun was the cutest and how everyone should find him cute. But he was less enthused about it when there were specific people talking about how cute Gong Jun was, actual friends or acquaintances expressing the same sentiment rather than faceless, nameless people in a crowd.
“Well, he’s very cute,” Zhang Zhehan forced out.
“Yes, and maybe other people who also think so might actually act on their opinion,” Huang Youming pointed out, keeping his voice low so that Gong Jun couldn’t overhear them.
Zhang Zhehan’s eyebrows immediately drew into a deep frown. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe not Zhou Shen, maybe not Xu Feng, but who is to say that in the next show Gong Jun is in, he won’t meet someone who sees him exactly as you do? Who thinks he’s the cutest, funniest, handsomest, most perfect? But unlike you, maybe they’ll actually do something about it.”
Rearing back, Zhang Zhehan looked like Huang Youming had slapped him. For a moment, Huang Youming felt a little bad, then he remembered that not only had he spent the last hour being relegated to a bright lightbulb illuminating Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun’s flirting, but they weren’t actually together despite putting him through all that.3 So he added, “Hey, don’t you usually just do what you want? Why are you holding back this time, crazy guy?”
“What are you guys talking about?” Gong Jun had left the couch, coming up to stand behind Zhang Zhehan. His dark eyes looked from Zhang Zhehan to Huang Youming, hand already lightly pawing at Zhang Zhehan’s elbow as if he was a heartbeat away from tugging Zhang Zhehan into the apartment and away from Huang Youming.
Huang Youming rolled his eyes and said, “See if I try to help you next time.”
“What are you helping with now, Youming?” Gong Jun asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Shaking his head, Huang Youming turned around and walked away with a wave over his shoulder. “I’ll see you guys at the concert. Good night!”
Then he was out of there and away from the ridiculous duo. Whatever happened next was going to be up to Zhang Zhehan now, and would have nothing to do with Huang Youming. All that was on his schedule was a good night’s sleep, an early morning visit to the gym and posing prettily for the cameras.
A week later, it was time for the first, last and only Shan He Ling concert. The moment Huang Youming laid eyes on Zhang Zhehan and Gong Jun on stage during rehearsals, he knew something had changed between them. Huang Youming hadn’t known it was possible, but they were somehow even stickier now, deliberately nudging each other all the time and standing shoulder-to-shoulder like they were on the world’s tiniest stage while ignoring the ample empty space around them. Gong Jun was brimming with excited, happy energy and kept casting delighted looks at Zhang Zhehan, while Zhang Zhehan alternated between teasing laughter and staring with unbearable fondness at Gong Jun.
If Huang Youming somehow missed all of the charged energy between them, he certainly wouldn’t have missed the ring.
Huang Youming didn’t tend to notice his friends’ jewellery, but Gong Jun didn’t really wear rings and he kept playing with this one, drawing attention to it, subconsciously or otherwise. The hexagonal ring that Gong Jun kept touching and twisting on his finger had to have some kind of significance and most likely had to do with the man Huang Youming was standing next to.
“Didn’t you tell him to take it off for the cameras at least?” Huang Youming murmured to Zhang Zhehan under his breath.
Zhang Zhehan didn’t even have to ask what Huang Youming was talking about, just grinned smugly as he stared right at the ring on Gong Jun’s finger. “Why would I? I’m just taking your advice and making sure that anyone who finds Junjun cute will know he’s taken.”
“Youku will just photoshop it out,” Huang Youming pointed out.
“I have confidence that our fans will spot it anyway.”
Of course he was relying on that, because he really was a madman.
Sighing, Huang Youming mentally made a note to tease the fans with as many CP hints as possible during the concert. The more they scattered CP sugar, the more it would seem like an act, like the cast were just baiting the fans. Someone needed to help these two ensure they still had careers at the end of everything since the two idiots had no sense of self-preservation themselves.
Finally, Gong Jun looked over at them from where he was talking to Zhou Ye. Huang Youming could practically see Gong Jun eyeing the distance between Huang Youming and Zhang Zhehan, considering if they were standing too close together. Then, midway through his conversation, Gong Jun visibly lapsed into silence, eyes going dark and lidded as they fixed on...
Turning, Huang Youming found Zhang Zhehan giving Gong Jun a very, very mischievous and suggestive grin, eyes curved with obvious delight as if he was thinking about something very naughty indeed. Great. Now Zhang Zhehan could disrupt Gong Jun’s thoughts with a single look. They really had managed to find ways to escalate.
“I’ll go rescue Zhou Ye,” Huang Youming said, noticing that she was looking very puzzled at the way her conversation with Gong Jun had sputtered out abruptly. “And leave you guys to be disgusting together.”
Zhang Zhehan followed after as Huang Youming went over to talk to Zhou Ye. Before Huang Youming reached Zhou Ye, Gong Jun had already drifted over to Zhang Zhehan, meeting him halfway. Their heads bent close together as they whispered to each other.
Rolling her eyes, looking remarkably like A-Xiang for a brief moment, Zhou Ye said, “Ohhh, I wondered why he suddenly stopped his bossy nagging.”
“Yeah, they’re pretty ridiculous right now,” Huang Youming said with a sigh.
He had thought they would settle down a little after confessing their feelings to each other and getting together. He had thought all of them would get a break. But no, they were actually much worse than before.
They must have sorted their crap out and gotten together in the past week, so maybe this was all too new for them. On top of that, they had been spending a lot of time apart, busy with their own separate schedules, so they both must be a little over-excited to be meeting face-to-face again. Given time, they would probably calm down and stop rubbing their relationship in everyone’s faces.
Probably.
Maybe.
One could hope anyway.
Later, much later, after all the silly games and singing and flying high on the adulation of their fans, Huang Youming watched from backstage as Zhang Zhehan swore, in front of thousands, to always be by Gong Jun’s side, no matter what happened. It was a very public confession, a heartfelt promise, right before Gong Jun folded himself down like an overly large puppy so he could hold Zhang Zhehan close and Zhang Zhehan gripped him back, prolonging the hug. They embraced like they were the only two people there, like the rest of the world didn’t matter.
And maybe it didn’t. Not as long as these two dumbasses had each other.
If Huang Youming discreetly wiped a tear on his sleeve, it was just because it was very dusty backstage. They really should do more cleaning around here. Chen Zihan handed him a tissue, Ke Naiyu already dabbing at her eyes on the other side, and all of them bonded over how terribly dusty it was backstage.
Then, it was time to go up on stage, back up into the bright lights where they would take their bows and say goodbye to their fans, say goodbye to Shan He Ling.
For all of them, it was the end of a beautiful experience, filming a show with a good script, a true heart, where the cast and crew were united with the same passion.
For some of them, it was only the beginning.
THE END